A Diagnostic Study of Emotional Intelligence Amongst Students of Business Management in a Premier Business School in India

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the importance of emotional intelligence in the Indian corporate sector has been significant. It is an important quality that a manger needs to possess to be a good leader. Since economic liberalization, many Indian companies have made their mark on the global map under the able guidance of home grown leaders. As India steps into the next phase of its economic development, there is a significant demand of competent managers and leaders. Indian management schools have an important role in this regard. In this paper we explore the level of emotional intelligence in the students studying in a top business school in India. The results highlight that the widely held belief of higher emotional intelligence quotient in females and non-engineers do not hold true in one of the premier management schools in India. Engineers and students with significant prior work experience outscore the other students on various components of emotional intelligence and the differences are statistically significant. This suggests a revision in curriculum of business management education so as to ensure that over the course of two years, students are given ample opportunities to develop their emotional intelligence and hone their skills towards becoming successful future leaders.